Rejoined he, "Thou sayest sooth," and kissed ground. Then the queen fared on towards the palace and there arose and alighted upon the trees an hundred thousand birds of manifold hues. " and Queen Wakhimah answered her, "Know, O my sister, that this queen is hight Queen al-Shahbá[FN#221] and that she is queen over all the Jann from East to West. These birds thou seest are of her host, and unless they appeared in this shape, earth would not be wide enough for them. Indeed, they came forth with her and are present with her presence at this circumcision.

As for me, I approach thee upon an affair, whereby thou shalt gain and rise to high rank with the kings of the Jann and rule them, even as thou rulest mankind; and to that end I would have thee come with me and be present at the festival of my daughter's wedding and the circumcision of my son;[FN#165] for that the Jann are agreed upon the manifestation of thy command. "[FN#166] So she gave him the lute and he forewent her, till he came to the Chapel of Ease,[FN#167] and behold, therein was a door and a stairway.

He thanked her for this and said to the Songstress, "O Tohfah, there is not on earth's face a skilfuller than Ishak al-Nadim;[FN#228] but thou art more skilful than he. Indeed, I have been present with him many a time and have shown him positions[FN#229] on the lute, and there has betided me with him that which betided. " So he took the lute and played thereon a wondrous playing, with rare divisions and marvellous modulations, and showed her a passage she knew not; and this was goodlier to her than all that she had gotten.